Australia's superannuation system is undeniably complex, yet it plays a pivotal role in our financial lives. With compulsory contributions mandated by law, the system is designed to ensure that the age pension serves as a safety net for basic living expenses, rather than the primary source of retirement income. To achieve a comfortable retirement, understanding the mechanics of superannuation contributions is essential. 

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Stock market returns were phenomenal in 2024. But strong returns can plant the seed for an unexpected risk. This risk is known as recency bias. Holding an awareness of recency bias is the best way of ensuring you don’t fall victim to its draw, so this week, let’s take a look at this often overlooked risk factor.

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A few weeks back in the episode about the Superannuation Sweet Spot, I made reference to the transfer balance cap of $1.9 million. I've since had a few questions about how this operates, so this week I thought we'd dig into some extra detail on this particularly important piece of the superannuation rule book. 

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The desire for passive income frequently comes up as a goal when I speak with new clients. The idea of earning money before we even get out of bed holds obvious appeal.

So this week in the podcast, I thought I'd cover all there is to know about passive income. Where it can be sourced, how you can create it, some of the challenges and misconceptions, tax considerations, and some tips for success.

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In this episode we take a look at the most important concept in finance to understand - compounding.

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Consistent with most developed nations, Australia provides incentives for people to save for their retirement. Being self-sufficient in retirement reduces the need for Age pensions and other forms of Social Security. 

But saving for your retirement means sacrificing the here and now. Money socked away for your 70s and 80s, is money that you can't enjoy in your 20s and 30s. The opportunity cost is real, so the incentives need to be meaningful. 

Fortunately our superannuation system does indeed provide meaningful incentives in the form of tax concessions. There are tax concessions throughout the entire life of your superannuation journey. But I find that sometimes the biggest tax concession of all is overlooked or underappreciated. This week I want to ensure that you understand exactly where the greatest opportunity exists so that you are making the most of the superannuation tax concessions. 

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It's been a wonderful time to be an investor recently. As regular readers of our GainingCHOICE e-mail will know, the current one year numbers for the trio markets we track are all in double digits, with the US index over 30% up on the year, and the Australian and Emerging markets both up around 20%. 

So where to from here? Do such large gains over the past year mean we're destined for a fall? Or is this the early days of a new boom?

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There’s lots of risk when it comes to investing and building wealth. Inflation risk, market risk, timing risk, concentration risk, liquidity risk, credit risk, legislative risk, reinvestment risk, currency risk, leverage risk, and plenty more. 

Some risk we want to take – the ones that we can handle and will reward us with extra returns. Other risks provide no benefit to us and so should be avoided at all costs.  

Longevity risk, the topic of this week’s episode, falls into this second bucket, though it’s solution involves the deliberate undertaking of other risk. It’s an interesting one for sure, so let’s dive in.

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We all want to build wealth and have financial security, have choices in life.

This week I wanted to explore the basic framework for how you can make that happen. Your home, your super, your investments, and the financial decisions that sit around those all play their part.

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